FairVote Blog
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No More Gerrymanders: Missouri's Partisan Plan versus the Fair Voting Alternative
Lawmakers in Missouri have recently passed a congressional redistricting plan that gives Republican candidates a strong advantage in 6 of 8 seats and protects nearly all incumbents. There's a better way--fair voting systems in multi-seat "super-districts." Read the latest in our fair voting plan series.
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Egypt: The Military Struggles to Maintain its Legitimacy
by Hüseyin Koyuncu, Arab Spring Series // December 12, 2011 //Amidst controversies and protests, Egypt last month held the first in a series of elections for a new parliament. FairVote has covered the region's moves toward representative democracy in our Arab Spring series. Here’s the first of a series of posts analyzing the elections, starting with a focus on the state country before the voting last month.
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Learning a Lesson from Egypt's Universal Voter Registration
by Elise Helgesen // December 7, 2011 //Egypt recently began the process of electing members to its People's Assembly. Egypt's parliamentary elections provide an example for the United States worth taking note. Egypt uses a system of universal voter registration, which helped bring large numbers of voters to the polls. FairVote believes this type of universal voter registration would modernize and improve the type of voter registration in American elections.
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Presidential Tracker: Looking at the Structure
by Katie P. Kelly, Presidential Tracker // December 1, 2011 //Tracking the president's events and visits doesn't produce surprises considering the electoral system under which he operates, but it does provide insight into the inadequacies of our current structure -- affirming that the rules have a direct correlation on the outcomes.
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Response to "A rogue convention? How GOP party rules may surprise in 2012"
by Elise Helgesen, Rob Richie // December 1, 2011 //Following up on our recent article in Politico, we share our thoughts about the 2012 Republican National Convention, a few points about Rule 38's unit rule and its implication on delegates' voting methods, and finally, our response to critics who say we have misinterpreted the rules.
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Understanding how the Iowa caucuses work — and don't work
by Rob Richie // January 3, 2012 //The national media is in a frenzy about the Republican contest in tonight’s Iowa caucuses. Unfortunately, most journalists seem to be getting the story wrong – and a key reason is not understanding or even thinking about the rules and their implications.
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"Mr. Normal" Francois Hollande to Face French President Sarkozy
by Hüseyin Koyuncu // November 23, 2011 //Francois Hollande, the so-called “Mr. Normal” of French politics, will now represent the Socialist party in the April 2012 general election as his party seeks to unseat incumbent first-term president Nicolas Sarkozy. The party’s most critical challenge will be to unite behind its official candidate, lest bitter feelings and ideological squabbling endanger the party’s chances against Sarkozy. Those focused on electoral process are particularly interested in how Hollande won France's first-ever national primary to pick a major party nominee
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Democracy Lost: the Iowa Caucus, the New Hampshire Primary, and the Shortchanging of American Presidential Politics
by Sheahan Virgin // January 10, 2012 //Although balloting in the 2012 Republican nomination battle has just begun, the race already appears to be over after just two contests: Iowa and New Hampshire. Such a result, in which the vast majority of the nation's voters are reduced to irrelevancy by an abbreviated primary process, is the newest chapter in a disturbing narrative of democratic ideals lost. Unlike most commentators, FairVote examines the preeminence of Iowa and New Hampshire with a critical eye, asking why two states with a combined 1.4% of the national population should possess a stranglehold on American presidential politics.
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Redistricting Guide on FairVote Tools for Analysis and Mapping
by Joe Witte // August 3, 2012 //How much does it cost to participate in the redistricting process? Common software that politicians, political parties and lobbyists use for redistricting costs anywhere from $4,500 a year to a $7,000 one-time fee. At FairVote, we don't believe that participation in the redistricting process should be limited to those who can afford to spend thousands of dollars on software. We are proud to present you with our Redistricting Guide, which gives you a crash course in the free redistricting software we used to create our Monopoly Politics 2012 and Fair Voting 2012 reports.
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America's Young Voters: Who They Are and Why They Matter
by Christina Grier // December 2, 2011 //Young voters hold the key to the future of the country and are an important part of the electorate. Just like every other age group, they are frustrated with political officials. Yet despite this frustration, there has been a slight increase in youth voter turnout over the past few years. Even with the increase in turnout, young voters still vote at a lesser rate than voters of other age groups. It is a problem that needs to be addressed because the strength of our democracy depends on all voters participating.